World Social Forum: THE IMPACT OF MILITARIZATION, WAR AND VIOLENT CONFLICT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FLOW OF REFUGEES.

COP 21 marked the culmination of a long period during which public awareness and political will developed at all levels. However this process has largely ignored the military dimension. Over the last few decades, some work has been done on the direct effects of war on the environment. More recently, alarming data has been published detailing the potential effects of nuclear explosions on climate, food production and famine. COP 21 made great fanfare over the establishment of the Green Climate Fund. However the obvious solution (reallocating resources from the over-funded military) was not raised. Climate disaster is undoubtedly a major cause of societal disruption, migration and armed violence. However military intervention is not the best response. Many other strategies are available but are rarely advanced in public debates. Rethinking militarism is now an urgent matter.